Arthritis and Playing A Guitar

In the late 80s and early 90s I began to suffer weakness in my left hand and had trouble holding down chords on my electric which I was playing mostly in those days. I used different kinds of wraps on my arm e.g. a carpel tunnel brace to a small degree of help. Eventually, a wonderful doctor suggested a neck x-ray and found I had cracked my C2 and C3 a long time ago and it had healed in a way that caused a neuralgia and weakness in my arm and hand.
 
Therapy helped a lot and over time, about 10 years, the neuralgia and weakness eased up and playing was more comfortable.
 
However, during this time, the one guitar I could play well because of the neck was a US Masters Sportster made personally for me by my friend Dave Regenberg. These guitars were all over the place for a time e.g. the lead guitarist for Toby Keith and many said the same thing. Something in the neck.
 
Dave went out of business a short while back but his guitars are still found a lot here and there. Just google US Masters. I love mine and rarely use my Peavey or Les Paul.
 
For acoustic, I don't know?

 
I also am experiencing pain in my hands, wrists... well, just about everywhere, and I also don't play anywhere near enough these days.  What I've done is played with different tunings so that certain chords are much easier to finger.  Greatly limits what can be played, but makes possible playing the guitar at all.
 
Aging has its drawbacks.  I have a Heritage guitar and self-built tube amp just waiting for me to retire, but now I'm realizing that I may not be able to play them once I get there.
 

I can only commiserate as I too suffer badly with arthritis everywhere but have no suggestion for getting around the difficulty you experience playing. If I had an answer I'd help myself.

I'm reasonably content enough to record others when I now get the chance.

You know, this is a great forum. I thought it would be populated by 17-year-old wannabes whose virtuosity peaked with power chords. It's nice to know there's a "family" of musicians in all age groups with whom we can relate.
 
Now, where is my In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida lead sheet?!?!

Ricebug
I'm approaching 64 and have arthritis in my left hand. I gave my beautiful Ovation 6-string acoustic/electric to an aspiring musician in our church band. After 2 years, I'm missing it terribly.
 
Do any of you guitarists know of a guitar that could accommodate my crippled hand? It's not that bad; mainly the pinkie finger. (Curse those bar chords!) I've been using Real Guitar 4, and even bought a Playstation Guitar Hero controller to get down. But they just don't come close to the Real Deal.

+1 to KHARMA's post
I have the same left hand issue with my pinky hurts on some chords,, I have just simplified my chording. I also have a frozen right shoulder and cannot play a full size accoustic anymore. 
I love Yamaha APX guitars, I had an older one that I wore out after 20 years so like a fool I sold it cheap to a person who wanted it badly..
So I found my self shopping for another small bodied Acoustic Electric.
The newer APX = I didn't like the electronics. Very uneven volume from string to string.
I love my Taylor mini GS and highly recomend that if you have $800
I also bought a Art and Luthier Folk which I play at work ( Care Facility ) for hours on end. 
You can also meet in the middle and buy a nice Jazz style electric. 
Taylor and many brands make very nice Jazz style guitars. If your just sitting on the couch thats all the volume your really need. I have an old Guild T100 I use for my couch guitar. I put flat wounds on it it is the easiest guitar I've ever played. It's loud eneough to fill a small room too. 
 
 

I just turned 64 and have arthritis (osteo), mostly in my spine but my fretting hand, index finger, middle knuckle gives me trouble after a bit sometimes. Voltaren Gel helps a lot, it kelps with knees and ankles too... not so much for the spine but I have other things for that. Voltaren Gel is a prescription med. I asked the doctor about it getting in my blood and NSAIDs building up. He said it pretty much stays where you put it, what gets in the blood is negligible. I recommend it. On a bad day you will probably just have to play through it. I hope you get relief.
J
 
EDIT> I don't know if you need an acoustic/electric but if not I find the Taylor Bog Baby a very comfortable guitar, I usually tune down a half step but that is so I can do bends more easily. I don't know how the Fender acoustic guitars play but if I were you I would try taking a trip to a Sam Ash or a GC and play guitars until you find one that works for both your finger and your body. A Line6 Variax might be a good option for you. I imagine it would be easier to play and maybe it has a decent acoustic model. If the Bog Baby works for you but you need electronics you might try the iRig Acoustic from IK. It sounds decent, amplifies through an iLOUD, and has several body models and some FX. I like it and it is only $50.00 pus $10 for the APP. Of course you can use it on any acoustic. Something to think about. I remember those old Ovations, they played like an electric but would always slide off my knee, lol.
http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/irigacoustic/ you run it through an iPhone or iPad into any line in source, powered monitor or mixer. So, it could help your choice of guitars to not be limited to ones with onboard electronics, if that matters.
The Taylor Big Baby is a bolt neck but sounds fine to me. It is also 15/16ths size. The back is slightly bowed out, I think it gives it a little better tone.
 
 
 
 

Ricebug
... 
Now, where is my In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida lead sheet?!?!
...

PM/track down forum member bitflipper. He and his band played a 30-minute version of IAGDV in Augsburg, Germany when I was stationed there in 1971. I bet he could help you out! 

I came down with rheumatoid arthritis a number of years ago.  My doctor put me on heavy doses of ibuprofen that not only helped my arthritis but also raised my blood pressure to sky high levels..  After hitting the books I stopped taking ibuprofen and started the over the counter Glucosamine &  Chondroitin (Glucosamine hydrochloride 1500 mg - Chondroitin sulfate sodium - 1200 mg) tablets.  I can now play guitar again and my blood pressure is normal.  YMMV
 
A pedal guitar has been mentioned as a playing option. You might want to try raising your strings with extension nut,
http://www.stewmac.com/Materials_and_Supplies/Nuts_and_Saddles/Grover_Perfect_Guitar_Extension_Nut.html
 
buying a slide
http://www.stewmac.com/Materials_and_Supplies/Accessories/Capos_and_Slides/Shubb-Pearse_Guitar_Steel.html
 
and play some slide guitar.  This just might be an inexpensive alternative to purchasing a pedal guitar.
 
Just my thoughts.

MarioD
After hitting the books I stopped taking ibuprofen and started the over the counter Glucosamine &  Chondroitin (Glucosamine hydrochloride 1500 mg - Chondroitin sulfate sodium - 1200 mg) tablets.  I can now play guitar again and my blood pressure is normal.  YMMV
 

In addition to the above, which many of my friends take for knee pain, neuralgias, sciatica, etc...I have found curamed (a turmeric product) to be possibly very good for my salivary gland cancer and radiation side effects as a natural anti-inflammatory.
 
Also, when I had a neck neuralgia in the 90s, I gave up red meat and became mostly vegetarian. Among the really good food groups for anti inflammatory are any alliums especially garlic, capsaicin, black pepper, turmeric...That really helped, red meat is horrible for arthritis.
 
The transition to a veggie diet takes a while, it took us a year or so, start with one meal a week, but I had help learning to cook from my wife's Asian friends where meat is just a small ingredient in stir fries and I learned a lot from Lidia's Kitchen (Italian) on PBS.
 
I agree natural is the way to go :)

Finally, a subject I can make make a contribution to! :)
 
I came down with arthritis in my hands in my thirties (I'm 67 now) and gave up playing acoustic guitars - I stuck with my featherweight touch custom Telecaster, and pretty much gave up playing lots of chords.  In my fifties I added tenosynovitis to the mix (bumps on the tendons in my hands "catch" on the sheaths that guide them and cause some really strange and painful symptoms such as "trigger finger").  About eight years ago I got fed up with just playing blues leads and decided to take up classical-style playing.  After practicing all the stretches and scales and hand exercises I began to find that the pain was receding, and over the last several years I have not only been able to play any style guitar I'm capable of playing, skill-wise, but I have added back acoustic guitars and even play two twelve-strings now daily (they're very easy for 12s, one's a Taylor T5z-12 and the other is a Godin A12).  I also have a Godin ACS-SA nylon-string with synth access, and I play my Tele, a Jackson DK2S, a Godin Spectrum SA steel string, and an old Sigma full-size acoustic/electric.  The easiest "acoustic" guitar I've found is the 6-string Taylor T5z, but in my opinion it's a bit overpriced. 
 
When I wake up in the morning I can't bend my fingers, but after a few painful minutes I am fully capable, and start the day with a full regimen of scales (I recommend lots of double-interval and 4-per-string drills to really work the hands).  After that I am good to go.  This corresponds to current research, which says that the best thing for arthritis is constant exercise.
 
Oh, and DO take the Glucosamine/Chondroitin, and if you can get hyaluronic acid & MSM they seem to help too - I get them all in one capsule with boswellia serrata (myrrh) added as well.  Also any other anti-inflammatory herbs, and yes, cutting down or eliminating red meat helps too.
 
Sorry for blathering on... hope this helps.
 
Best regards,
Delta

Gracias amigo...   the Buddha said, "To live is to suffer."  If you ain't hurtin' you ain't livin'! :)

I don't have arthritis but I did suffer from a lot of aches and pains for a long time - tennis elbow, neck pain and lower back pain which felt arthritisy. I'm surprised there hasn't been more emphasis on MSM in this thread because it really has been miraculous for me. Get the Jarrow brand Opti-MSM, it's one of the best. I started with a gram a day and worked up to between 8-10g per day. It's amazing stuff and very safe, although some people do report headaches if their initial dose is too high. It gets very good reports for arthritis.

Ricebug...David Leisner is a NYC guitarist who ended up with focal dystonia.  He's written  extensively about it.  He's recovered full use of his hands.  I don't know whether his tricks could apply to arthritis sufferers, but you might want to inquire:
 
http://davidleisner.com/
 
If you live in NYC look him up.

Hello it would be really good to hear some advice and talk to people who understand how it feels. I had recently been diagnosed with RA. I was on hydroxychlorquine but been recommended to be on Methotrexate. I had pain in my feet everyday with the mornings being the worse. but when I am wearing , at that time I dont have pain in my feet.